Zero SR/F

Built:2019-24201920202021202220232024

You have to go with the times ... do you really have to? To find out, we are testing our first electric motorcycle with the Zero SR/F. And experienced a surprise.

The future looks normal

The future is in front of you and Dietmar and I wonder if there is tactics behind it. At first glance, the batterielectric future comes at first glance quite traditional, some might say old-fashioned. There is even a tank, at least a component that looks like this. Apparently, the Californian manufacturer Zero has decided not to scare off potential customers with a particularly futuristic design of the machine.

We cannot judge whether this is the right tactic. Most of our test team liked the classic design of the Zero. SR/F stands for Streetfighter ... well, rather it is a Naked Bike. A clean, and at first glance, little can be discovered of the future. Where normal motorcycles are the engine is the battery, which could visually pass as the engine block of a BMW boxer. The actual motor (Z-Force 75-10, permanent magnet alternating current motor, passiveair-cooled) sits in the swingarm at the rear wheel. This position is good because, firstly, the centre of gravity is very low and secondly, the distance to the rear wheel always remains the same. Thus, the drive belt does not always have to be tracked, no matter how much the rear wheel springs in. Zero calls this "coupling-free direct drive".

This is how she drives herself

The key rotation does two things: First, the whole motorcycle is immediately sharpened. A spin on the gas handle would cause the Zero to storm forward, violently or very violently, depending on the chosen driving program. Second, the Zero is more like a moving computer than other motorcycles. All systems are interconnected, the Zero even has its own operating system called "Cypher III".

This makes sense, because in addition to a normal ABS and traction control, 4 fixed and 10 free driving modes are standard, and the Bosch Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC) is on board as a safety system.

Well, Dietmar and I haven't been riding motorcycles since yesterday, and we're no stranger to powerful motorcycles, we've also tested the 177 hp Super Duke together. Dietmar drives the first lap on the Zero, I the camera car until we have reached the lonely road for our photos.

Traditionally, I ask Dietmar on the first stop after his first impressions: "And?". Well, he misses the words just like me after the first round. I had just focused on the not very exciting PS values of 110. That is good, but not the rip-off now.

Of course, we all know that torque is much more important than horsepower numbers, and the second feature of electric motorcycles is also known, namely that this torque is available from the first revolution. However, what this means in practice can hardly be described in words. The 190 Newton meters fall over the biker, it is an infinite power. The acceleration is at Superbike level (Vmax 200 km/h) with 3.3 seconds, here the physics in the form of lack of adhesion prevents a better value, moreover, the Zero does not accelerate with full power for safety reasons. A wise decision.

The enormous performance of the intermediate sprint from 60 to 100 kilometres, which pulverizes the Zero with less than one second, is clearer than zero hundred.

If I had thought at the beginning that the sound would annoy me or the short range, the driving impression of the Zero SR/F is determined by the sheer force of the torque. Any other impression must be subordinated to this. On the one hand, the overpowering torque has its good: all other functions such as brakes, comfort or cornering are impeccable and therefore do not need to be considered any further. On the other hand, this digital type of zero also decides whether it is a candidate for purchase or not. This needs to be explained in more detail.

In normal motorcycles, the rider is directly involved in the formation of speed. For example, he has to switch and either keep an eye on the rev counter or orientate himself to the noise. Motorcycling requires a permanent adaptation between machine and driver. Ideally, the "one" with the machine is created, which I personally like to call flow. On fast-moving passes, this flow is most beautiful and for me makes one of the main attractions of motorcycling.